High School Yaoi
by kanyon01
Summary: Marik finds out that his best friend, Mariku, has a crush on him. He doesn't feel the same way though, so he sets out to find a perfect match for the Egyptian. What will happen to the both of them? Who will they end up with? Read to find out. Also, Bakura butts his way into people's relationships. Yaoi pairings. Multiple POV. Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh or any of it's characters
1. Chapter 1

Ryou Bakura was snapped awake to the blaring of his alarm. Whipping his arm sideways to shut it off, he dragged himself out of bed. It was the first day of Junior year. He wasn't very excited, but he wasn't exactly un-excited. Yes, it was confusing. Ryou had been to Domino High for Freshman and Sophomore year already, so he was used to his surroundings. Ryou guessed you could put it that way. Quickly, he showered and got dressed. Ryou lived alone, so he didn't really have any morning dialogue. After carefully grabbing his backpack, he started the walk to school.

Ryou's thoughts were the same as always. Not based on himself, but on others. He was even selfless in his mind. Ryou was slightly worried about Yugi's grandpa, whom had been sick over the summer. He was also annoyed, about Tea and Tristan's relationship. They had been dating for about a month. Then they had gotten into a brutal argument and broke up, claiming they never liked each other in the first place. Ryou knew it was true, since Tea had loved Yugi. She would never admit it aloud, but she was clearly trying to get Yugi jealous. Unfortunately, Yugi had eyes for only one person.

Yami. Not unlike Yugi in appearance, Yami also had blonde spiky hair, and pale skin. The main differences between the two were their eyes, (Yami had dark crimson while Yugi had light violet) and height. (Yami was about an inch taller than Yugi) Surprisingly, the two weren't related in any way. Of course, Yugi was in love with Yami. Yugi hadn't done anything about it yet, but he had told all his friends of his major crush.

Another member of their group was Marik Ishtar. Ryou supposed Marik didn't love anybody. He usually kept to himself, somewhat anti-social. Marik had claimed to have moved from Egypt, and they believed it to be true, since Marik did look very much Egyptian. His appearance consisted of sandy blonde hair, violet eyes, and tanned skin. A lot of girls happened to be deadly in love with Marik, but Ryou suspected he was gay. Of course, every time Ryou asked if that was true, Marik denied it.

Mariku was another who hung out with the gang. He was seemingly the best friend of Marik. He had a crazy and psychotic personality, but was also sarcastic and lighthearted. Mariku would get himself into difficult situations, and lots of trouble. Apparently, Marik wasn't related to Mariku at all, oddly enough. Especially considering their similar appearances. Mariku was also Egyptian, and had tanned skin with sandy blonde hair. Though that's where the similarities stopped. For Mariku had navy blue eyes, was very tall, and had spiky hair that seemingly defied gravity. Mariku happened to have another person he spent time with in addition to Marik. His second best friend.

Bakura. He was basically always alone, unless he was near Mariku. Bakura never dared approach their group of pals, claiming that they were "Too friendly." He also happened to have a bad record. He broke rules constantly, and seemingly nobody could control him, or his attitude. Bakura was harsh, ruthless, and rude. The polar opposite of Ryou himself. They had similar appearances too, both were British, had white hair, brown eyes, and pale skin.

Of course there were the major differences between the two. For example, Ryou had large, kind brown eyes. While Bakura had hard, unforgiving eyes with a red tint to them. Bakura had wild, untamed silver hair. While Ryou had calm snowy hair. The two were completely unrelated. That always stumped Ryou. It was a weird feeling to know somebody who looked so similar to you, with absolutely no relation.

Thinking about Bakura had reminded Ryou of another classmate. Seto Kaiba. Kaiba was a rich, rude being. He was always alone, usually doing work on his laptop. He was CEO of his very own company, Kaiba corporation, after all. Most people believed Kaiba to be completely heartless, but Ryou believed there to be some good evident in every single person. Especially, since he knew how protective and loving Kaiba was towards his younger brother, Mokuba. Unfortunately, Ryou couldn't convince Kaiba to be friends with him and the gang. Once a loner, always a loner Ryou guessed. Although Kaiba did 'interact' with Joey Wheeler. It just happened to be insults and hatred only. So Ryou couldn't count that.

Joey Wheeler was a loyal and caring person. He never let a friend down. Ever. Joey was always around his pals, and always caused people to smile. He was a joker, alright. Joey hated Seto Kaiba just as much as Seto Kaiba hated him. You could tell the one person Joey was most protective of was his younger sister Serenity. Though, sadly Joey's parents were divorced, which meant Joey didn't get to see Serenity much. Joey lived with their dad, while Serenity lived with their mom.

Joey was best friends with Tristan Taylor. Tristan Taylor was always picking a fight. And he had a crush on Duke Devlin. Devlin probably didn't know about it, even though he was part of the gang. Devlin was a ladies man, and he would never have admitted to being gay to anybody. Even if he may have been. He was sort of a pretty boy, so Ryou had his suspicions. Then there was Tea. She was kind, and was always careful of people's friendships. Tea wanted to become a dancer someday. And she was just the type of person you could depend on to keep a secret, or help you out in a tough situation.

Ryou lost his train of thought once he reached the school. He took a deep breath, and pushed open the front door. Right away, he saw most of his friends, hanging around the lockers. They immediately waved or smiled at him. Ryou smiled back. He could only hope that this would be a great year.

* * *

A/N: This is basically an introduction chapter. I took the time to describe every person, and explain their relations. I only hinted at a few pairings, but they're all still flexible. Hope you liked it! I look forward to reviews :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, I finished another chapter! I know it's short, but I wanted to update sooner, so I decided to go ahead and post. Thank you all so much for your reviews, faves, follows, and amazing ideas! You make me want to continue this story, and your ideas area all greatly appreciated! :D

I hope you like this chapter, and for the people who are more fans of Yugi than Marik, bear with me. He will be included soon enough. Enjoy :)

* * *

Marik's eyes landed on the school entrance the instant he saw his friend Ryou step in. The blonde smiled warmly, and Ryou graciously returned the favor. Marik couldn't help but notice that his friend looked slightly nervous.

He wondered why that was. It wasn't like it was their first day of high school, or they were new at this. Marik never failed to notice that Ryou was somewhat mousy, though. The white-haired boy let people push him around, and was always polite no matter what. It was sort of annoying to Marik. Some days the blonde just couldn't stand the niceness. He'd wanted to grip Ryou by the shoulders and scream at the top of his lungs

"BE RUDE FOR ONCE GOD DAMMIT!"

But he knew he couldn't. He didn't want to make Ryou cry, because watching Ryou cry was like watching someone beat up a puppy. Seriously.

Back to the real world, though. After a couple seconds of standing there and examining the hallways, Ryou finally made his way over to the group.

"Hello." Ryou said in the most polite tone.

Marik was already prepared to smack him, but fought the urge. Honestly, Ryou was a great friend, and a good person to talk to.

It's just that Marik was easily annoyed by people who were too nice, including Yugi and Tea. Luckily, Marik was considerate enough not to voice that opinion of his.

"Hey Ryou. How did your summer go?" Yugi took the silence as an opportunity to respond.

Ryou's smile grew, as Yugi always made him happier somehow.

"It was fine, thanks for asking. How about yours?" Ryou responded gently.

Yugi looked ecstatic as he launched into the story of his summer.

"It was amazing. Me and my grandpa went on vacation, traveling by cruise! There was this attraction…"

Unfortunately, Marik lost interest about a sentence or two in. Instead he took to bothering his best friend Mariku, by poking him on the shoulder non-stop. It was Mariku's biggest pet peeve after all. That lasted 2 whole enjoyable minutes, until Mariku finally snapped.

He impatiently yelled "STOP IT WOULD YOU?!" And it caught everybody's attention, successfully shutting Yugi up.

Marik tried to hide his smirk, as he innocently responded

"Stop what, Mariku?" Mariku really looked ready to strangle him, but he restrained himself.

They both new he had anger issues.

"Ugh..nothing." Mariku responded seriously, while groaning.

He turned and actually started walking away, which never happened. Mariku wasn't the type to take things seriously. So, being the concerned best friend he always was, Marik followed him, shouting

"Hey, wait up! I was just messing with you!"

After wandering the school for a few minutes, Marik ended up finding Mariku sitting underneath the gym bleachers with his head in his hands. At first Marik was worried he'd caused his friend to cry, but his suspicions were terminated when he saw that Mariku was just really frustrated-looking. Good thing, because Marik had never thought of Mariku as one to cry. Marik made his way over to his friend and sat down next to him.

"What's wrong? Seriously, I was just messing around." He said, hoping Mariku was calm enough to respond.

Apparently, that wasn't the case, because Mariku reacted by angrily punching the brick wall. Marik knew better than to back up, Mariku would never hit him, even in a fit of rage. He did the wiser thing, and put an arm around Mariku's waist, while he whispered.

"Mariku, calm down. Tell me what happened to make you so angry."

Mariku naturally relaxed under the touch, and took a deep breath, readying himself to respond. He looked at Marik, and asked.

"Have you ever wanted something that you cant have?"

Marik looked slightly confused by this, but answered anyway.

"Um…Yeah I guess so."

Mariku looked somewhat satisfied by that answer. Then he looked Marik dead in the eyes and stated

"Well, I want you."

Marik looked completely lost at this. He couldn't grasp what Mariku meant by that.

"What do you mean? We're already friends." The blonde stated pathetically.

"Marik, I want us to be more than friends. I'm in love with you." Mariku confessed, with a hopeless expression.

Marik froze. He really did not know how to respond to that. Especially with the way Mariku was staring at him. Sure, Marik had suspected Mariku had some feelings for him…but not love. Marik was at a complete loss for words.

Seeing the reaction of his best friend, Mariku turned away, highly frustrated. As he was readying himself for another wall punch, a pair of hands shot out and gripped his wrist.

"Stop, I just need time to think." Marik whispered, still partially in a daze.

Mariku winced. He was truly convinced he'd been rejected, and Marik just didn't want to hurt his feelings. But in reality, Marik was confused. He had no idea Mariku was in love with him! It caused Marik sorrow to think he could be paining his best friend on a daily basis. Wasn't it suppose to be the other way around? Marik was suppose to help out Mariku, make him happier, and even make him feel wanted.

After all, Mariku didn't exactly have a family. Damn! all this stuff about friendship made Marik sound like Tea! He shuddered at the thought. The blonde was snapped back into the real world when he realized his friend was slowly leaning towards him. A million questions were forming on Marik's lips, until a light pressure stopped them from escaping. Mariku was kissing him! His mind was saying

"RED ALERT, STOP THIS NOW!"

Unfortunately, his body had different plans. Still not thinking about what he was doing, he leaned into the gentle kiss. It actually felt good. At that thought, he pulled away from Mariku as fast as he could, catching his breath. Marik felt bad about the hurt, pained look on Mariku's face, but he tried to ignore it best he could. He was NOT suppose to like his best friend in that way, let alone another guy. HE WAS NOT GAY! And that kiss was definitely NOT suppose to feel good.

Panicking, he got up and dashed out of the gym without another word. He drowned out Mariku's voice calling after him, as he made his way into the halls. They were all empty, so Marik assumed class had already started. He ditched the idea of actually attending, because he probably looked like a mess. The blonde was basically having a nervous breakdown. Searching for a place to attempt to calm down, he settled for the boys bathroom. Once he was there, he looked up at the mirror. Marik visibly relaxed, when he realized he didn't look nearly as upset as he felt. The Egyptian paced around the room, deep in thought.

What was he going to do about this? Mariku was in love with him! He couldn't exactly stop Mariku. And maybe he didn't want to…No! Marik quickly pushed those thoughts away. He refused to like his best friend like that. Marik either needed to get Mariku to realize he wasn't worth it or…or…set him up with someone else! "That's it!" The blonde said aloud.

'But who?' Marik wondered.

He felt an odd tinge of jealousy at the thought of Mariku dating someone else, and he couldn't understand why.

Maybe he'd have to put the plan on hold, until he got his feelings under control. Yeah. That's what he'd do. And with that, a very confused Marik left the bathroom, to wander to his 1st period class.

* * *

A/N: There. Hope you liked it! This chapter is mostly setting up for the next one, which in case anyone was wondering, will be either Yugi's POV or Yami Bakura's POV. Let me know which you'd prefer :)

And also, sorry about the whole 'Marik not really liking nice people' I understand it could be taken as Tea/Yugi/Ryou bashing, but that's not how I meant it. I was just trying to build Marik's character, and his view on things. I wanted to show you _his_ personality and thoughts, not mine. I actually have no problem whatsoever with any of the nice characters!

I look forward to reviews! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi headed to class, after the odd morning. Mariku had a little outbreak, wherein Marik rushed after him looking unsettled. Then Yugi and his other friends just talked until the bell rang. Though, there was an unfamiliar tension to the group after the two left. Yugi just guessed they were all wondering what was going on with the normally lighthearted and carefree duo.

Yugi knew he was. Anyway, after that they all just went to class, trying to pretend like everything was normal. But things weren't normal, Yugi knew. About 5 minutes after the bell rang, Marik appeared, looking very disheveled and somewhat panicked. Automatically Yugi kicked into worry-mode. He approached Marik the instant he had the opportunity.

"Hey, Marik. Is everything alright?" Yugi asked his friend gently.

Put a little off guard by the question, Marik paused.

"Uh…everything's just fine. Why do you ask?"

Marik responded a little franticly. Yugi sighed, knowing that Marik wouldn't share his problems.

"No reason. Sorry to bother you." Yugi responded politely.

Marik cringed. "Stop being so nice, would you? I'm not going to cry if you're a little rude once in a while."

He scolded playfully. Yugi assumed Marik was just attempting to change the subject, since he was still slightly flustered. Yugi just nodded while he laughed half-heartedly, still somewhat concerned for his friend. He decided to distract himself instead of worrying. And there was only one person who could stop Yugi from being worried about his friends.

Yami.

He was sitting in the desk right in front of him. Yugi couldn't stop a dreamy sigh from escaping his lips, as a lazy smile found its way to his face. Yami seemed so perfect to him, with his blonde, black, and purple spiked hair; his mesmerizing crimson eyes. Even the way Yami always dressed in black or blue was attractive to little Yugi.

He was deeply in love with Yami, and he knew it. It was hopeless though, because Yami had eyes for only Bakura.

Yugi couldn't help the hatred and jealousy that bubbled up through his veins. Now, this was a very rare thing for Yugi, and it confused him. He'd never resented anyone the way he did Bakura. Poor Yugi had no idea how to control these emotions. He was simply thankful that he'd never actually talked to the subject of his love's affections.

With the thought of the white haired teen, he glanced at the very back corner of the room. There, sitting and doodling on his desk in sharpie, was Bakura.

In the flesh.

And it made Yugi's very blood boil, to think that he was the reason Yugi couldn't have his Yami. Upset, he busied himself with counting the ceiling tiles. That is, until Yami turned around and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey Yugi, can I borrow a pencil?" Yami whispered.

Flustered, Yugi responded as quickly as he could.

"Uh. Yeah, here."

Yami smiled genuinely as Yugi handed him the pencil he was using.

"Thanks aibou." He added before turning around.

Yugi blushed at the nickname his 'friend' gave him. He giggled lightly before he could stop himself. Yami looked over his shoulder and smirked, before facing forward again. Embarrassment dominated Yugi's emotions, causing him to duck his head down.

It wasn't until about 3 minutes had passed that Yugi realized he gave up his only writing utensil. He internally groaned at the affect his crush had over him. Sighing, he resignedly turned to Marik and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey Marik, could I borrow a pencil?" He whispered, still a little annoyed with himself.

Marik smiled. But, Yugi could see right through it. It wasn't nearly genuine. Marik still seemed worried.

"Sure, here." Marik said neutrally, handing over an extra pencil. Yugi smiled and said "Thanks."

But he silently scoffed at the irony. At least Marik was smart enough not to give up the pencil he was using.

* * *

Mariku was crushed. He still sat behind the gym bleachers, trying (and failing) to numb his emotions. He couldn't get the confused and surprised look on Marik's face out of his head. It pained him to not know where Marik stood. He had no idea what his love was feeling for him right now. Hatred, pain, confusion? Mariku just didn't know. And that alone hurt him. He so desperately wanted Marik to love him back.

He needed to be loved.

Mariku never had a true family, or an actual place to call home. He got sent to at least 12 different foster parents. Each of them took their turns to call him worthless, crazy, or unstable. Then they sent him back.

It actually scarred him, though he'd never admit it to anyone. At some point, he actually started to believe he didn't belong anywhere. It didn't surprise him that he never let anybody get close after that. Except for Marik.

Marik changed everything. From the instant Mariku saw the Egyptian, he'd had feelings for him. It just took Mariku awhile to realize it. After that, He'd tried so hard to keep his love a secret. Mariku was just too afraid of rejection.

Things were different by the time the first day of Junior year rolled around though. Mariku was fed up with keeping his feelings to himself. He'd decided to confess.

But it was just too hard, especially when Marik kept teasing Mariku. It was a constant reminder that Marik saw Mariku as nothing more than a friend. It pained him more than he'd ever say.

He found the guts to confess when Marik was sitting right in front of him, concerned for his well being. The very sight made Mariku's heart swell. He pathetically confessed his love, and kissed the perfect Egyptian. It was the best moment in Mariku's entire life. His mind fogged over, and he melted into Marik. Every touch felt like a gift to him. Mariku loved the way Marik's soft lips felt brushing against his own. It was absolutely perfect. He felt wanted.

Until Marik pulled away.

Mariku soon realized that Marik didn't purposely kiss back. His body had reacted, not his mind. And the dazed, lost look in his eyes...had killed Mariku inside.

Mariku finally allowed the tears to flow freely. He felt as if he'd lost something. The worst part was that he couldn't figure out what it was.

Mariku was truly heartbroken.

* * *

A/N: There, another chapter. review please :D


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks everyone for reviewing! It's greatly appreciated. Alright, another update. Of course this one's short...again. Sorry guys. You see, this chapter felt so natural for me to write (from Bakura and Mariku's POV..does that say something about me? hahah) But, I just couldn't think of where to go afterwards. So, I decided to update here, rather than to make you wait forever. It seems I have a case of writer's block. ughhh. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Bakura was lazily drawing on his desk. He actually had nothing better to do, besides ditching. (Which he was saving for one of his more boring classes) He scribbled a little bit more. Then he looked at the clock, and waited. Scribble, wait, scribble, wait, scribble, wait.

Let's just say he was ready to kill someone. With that in mind, he stood up and announced

"I'm using the bathroom." Then left the room.

He was aiming to walk straight out of the building, but then he heard a very familiar cry. Bakura stopped to look around. Where was he anyway? Ah, he was by the gym.

'I guess there's no class in session right now.' He thought.

Then, he realized the pained sound was coming from his best and only friend. Bakura waltzed into the gym and wandered around. He almost thought he'd just heard something, since he couldn't find the source of noise.

But then he found what he was looking for:

Mariku was sitting underneath the bleachers crying his eyes out.

Bakura had to admit, he felt a little bad for the guy. The white-haired teen slowly sat down by his best friend, waiting for him to notice he had company. The instant Mariku looked up he about jumped out of his skin. Bakura chuckled a bit. He stopped short when he saw Mariku's face. His eyes were red and puffy, there were tear tracks running along his cheeks, and he looked utterly exhausted.

"What happened?" Bakura asked. The second he did, Mariku collapsed against his best friend, kind of like a girl, and let more tears fall. Bakura growled, but took to rubbing his friend's back anyway.

"What's wrong?" Bakura grumbled, frustrated. Mariku took a deep breath.

"I confessed." He answered hopelessly. Bakura automatically knew what he was talking about.

"Why would you confess to that effeminate brat? You could do much better." He retorted harshly.

Bakura really hated the blonde, he was constantly causing drama. All Mariku ever talked about was "Marik this and Marik that." Though…Bakura supposed it wasn't Marik's fault he was attractive. Wait; he did not just think that. Bakura shook his head, trying to distract himself. Mariku was still leaning on Bakura and whimpering slightly.

"Fine, what did he say?" The white-haired teen asked, since he wasn't getting any response from Mariku. The Egyptian cringed.

"I kissed him and he ran." He responded.

Bakura burst into laughter. He had tried to stop himself, but he just couldn't. It was too funny. He eventually calmed himself down, and looked at Mariku. The blonde had a very confused, and somewhat hurt, look on his face. Bakura chuckled.

"I'm sorry, it was just funny how you said it." The white-haired teen responded.

Then, slowly, finally, Mariku smiled. It was a sad smile, but one nonetheless.

"I guess your right." Mariku muttered, laughing a little himself.

"Of course I am." Bakura deadpanned.

They both laughed at that. Bakura stood up and smirked.

"Come on, we're ditching." He announced. Mariku smiled and obediently stood up. He followed Bakura out of the school.

"Where to?" He asked, curiously.

"My house." Bakura responded with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

* * *

"My house." Bakura responded with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Mariku didn't quite catch on, so he went with. On the walk to Bakura's house, there was basically no talking. It was just silent. And Mariku liked it that way. Once they arrived at Bakura's house, the white-haired teen pushed open the door. Mariku noticed it wasn't locked and raised an eyebrow.

"No one would dare steal from the thief king." Bakura threatened.

Mariku just nodded and followed his friend inside. It was a little shabby but still decent. It had only 1 floor. (Bakura did live alone after all) Mariku looked around a bit.

There was a small kitchen, a living room with a couch and a TV, a door that was probably the bathroom, and a hall leading to one more room.

"Nice place." The Egyptian commented. Bakura scoffed and abruptly grabbed Mariku's wrist. He pulled Mariku directly into the room at the end of the hall.

It turned out to be the bedroom.

Mariku was finally starting to get what was going on.

"W-What are you doing?" The blond asked nervously, his voice wavering.

Bakura smirked as he shoved his best friend harshly onto the bed.

"Having some fun." Bakura stated. Mariku's eyes widened as Bakura got on top of him, straddling his waist. The blonde gulped at the contact, but tried to focus on the problem.

"Get off." He commanded. But the white-haired teen completely ignored him, and slowly started to lean forward.

"Why? You don't like me anymore?" Bakura mocked, smirking. That's when Mariku realized how close his friend had gotten. Their lips were mere centimeters apart, and he could feel Bakura's ragged breath on him.

"S-stop." Mariku stammered. He couldn't handle this now, not after what happened earlier.

And Bakura obeyed. He slowly leaned back and sighed, looking torn. This alone was enough to surprise Mariku. Bakura never listened to him. Ever.

Why now?

* * *

"S-stop." Mariku stammered.

Something about the look on his face made Bakura listen. He slowly pulled away, thinking. Mariku had looked completely panicked, and a little bit afraid.. Bakura wondered why. Was Mariku scared of him? Sure, Bakura wanted other people to fear him, but not his only real friend. Mariku should know better. Bakura was only trying to have some fun, and cheer him up in the process. He sighed and looked at his friend.

"Alright." Bakura said, slightly frustrated with himself for being nice.

He stood up anyway. Mariku gave his friend an apologetic look.

"It's not you…it's M-Marik...I just can't do this right now." He explained as he sat up. It made decent sense to Bakura. He was relieved that his friend didn't fear him after all. With that thought, he plopped onto the bed and smirked.

"Ok, what would you like to do instead?" He asked suggestively. Mariku chuckled.

"Uh..I don't know. I guess I'll just go home. I need time to think." He said, looking torn. Bakura nodded.

"Kay, see you later." He said, then pointed to the doorway. Though he stood up along with Mariku and followed him into the living room.

"One more thing." Bakura added.

The instant his friend turned around, Bakura leaned in and pressed his lips against the other's. It was harsh and emotionless, but it was enough to distract and confuse Mariku. Bakura smirked into the kiss and pressed a little bit more, before slowly pulling away. Mariku had a completely stunned look on his face, but before he could say anything, Bakura shoved him out the door.

* * *

Grr I keep re-reading this, and the scene in the bedroom (haha sue me) doesn't feel right somehow. Oh well. Review please! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Marik was sitting in class, plotting. He was trying to think of someone who could be good for Mariku. Sure, Marik didn't personally want to date the larger Egyptian. But he knew his best friend deserved somebody good. And there had to be at least one person out there who was interested…right?

The rest of the day dragged on like that: Marik brainstorming. Unfortunately, it was a rather clear day in Marik's head. He had no idea who would willingly date a psychopath. Maybe a bodybuilder…? A self defense master..? After an eternity, the final bell rang. Marik jumped up and dashed to his locker. He gathered all of his things, and was about to zoom out the door when he realized something.

Today he was supposed to tutor Mariku.

Marik hissed through his teeth. After a bit of thought, The Egyptian decided he'd go over to Mariku's house, claim he was sick, then leave. Yeah, that should work. Sighing, Marik started walking. After about 15 minutes, he came face to face with his friend's front door. He knocked gently. The door flew open, almost immediately. The instant Marik saw Mariku, he gasped.

The guy looked utterly exhausted. He had that 'problem solving' look on his face; like when he was trying to work out a math equation.

"Oh, hi Marik. What are you doing here?" Mariku asked, appearing a little dazed.

"Tutoring..? Remember?" Marik responded carefully.

After a little bit of consideration, his friend nodded and stepped aside.

"Come on then." He said, and Marik noticed brief pain flicker in eyes.

Marik followed Mariku inside, and they both got settled at the kitchen table.

'So much for ditching him.' Marik thought.

Mariku already looked troubled. Normally Marik would have asked him what was wrong, but he already had a decent idea. After a couple minutes of silence, the smaller blonde cleared his throat. This was getting really awkward. The larger Egyptian looked up, a little surprised. Suddenly he sighed.

"Just go home Marik. I know you don't want to be here." Mariku stated coldly.

Marik was a little caught off guard by that, to be honest. But he stood up anyway, gathered his things, and walked out the door. Without a single word.

Mariku relaxed the instant Marik left. He was still really confused over the events of the day.

First, he kissed Marik; Marik ran.

Then Bakura kissed him; He got kicked out before he had time to think.

What the hell was going on? Did Bakura…like him or something? Mariku just didn't know. He still felt the sting of rejection from the morning. His emotions were a jumbled mess. The blonde wasn't near his usual self; his playful exterior no longer. He had to sort something out. After a bit more thinking, his mind was made up. Grabbing his cloak, he hit the streets. Mariku had decided it was about time for another talk with his British friend.

* * *

Yugi sighed. He couldn't believe he had embarrassed himself so badly in front of Yami earlier. It was the end of the day now, and he was headed home. Yugi was just on his way out the door, when Ryou caught up with him. He looked quite flustered.

"S-school..so much HW. First day!" Ryou stammered. He was trying to catch his breath and talk at the same time, so his sentences came out as fragments. Yugi laughed gently.

"Need any help?" He asked politely.

Ryou's huge brown eyes met Yugi's violet orbs.

"Yes, that would be very nice, thank you." Ryou responded, blushing.

Yugi just nodded and took some of the books from the white-haired teen's arms. He hadn't even noticed the other's red face. Or if he had, he probably thought it was because Ryou had been running all around the school.

"Which direction do you walk?" Ryou asked politely.

Yugi giggled slightly, and pointed to the left. Ryou smiled brightly.

"Me too." He responded.

They both walked together in beautiful silence. When they came to a bend in the road, they had to split up. Yugi handed back Ryou's books. Ryou thanked him again. Then, he made his way home. Overall it was a decent night.

For once, Ryou felt a lot less alone.

* * *

Joey didn't want to go home. Unfortunately the final bell rang, and he had to return to his living hell. He had to leave his friends and face that monster he was forced to call father. Then the next morning, he'd have to hide the bruises the best he could. The blonde was tired of it. He was tired of it all. In his fit of rage, he ran into the one and only Seto Kaiba.

"Watch it mutt." Kaiba snapped.

Joey heaved a sigh. "Sorry." He replied bitterly.

Kaiba grabbed Joey's arm, earning a whimper in return. His father had punched him there last night.

"What do you want moneybags?" Joey hissed.

Kaiba didn't respond as his eyes scanned over Joey's body. The blonde felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Suddenly, Kaiba shoved both Joey's sleeves up. Joey quickly forced them down, as they were in the school hallway. He glanced around nervously. Luckily, nobody had been watching the exchange. Joey examined his enemy. Kaiba's eye's were filled with pure rage.

"Who gave you those bruises?" He asked, voice firm.

"Err…nobody." The blonde responded, trying to think up an excuse.

"I ran into a wall." He added, mentally slapping himself for the pathetic cover up he thought of. Kaiba growled and started to drag him out of the school.

"Hey, what's your problem? Let me go!" Joey yelled.

"Shut it would you, I'm trying to help." Kaiba hissed. The blonde glared daggers, but decided to go with it anyway. Though he wasn't exactly sure what Kaiba meant by 'help.'

After a bit of searching, Kaiba finally found what he was looking for. Smirking, he dragged the blonde up to a junker, and shoved him into the passenger seat.

"Hey, I know how to sit!" Joey stated.

"Then sit and stay." Kaiba retorted, as he slid into the driver's side. Joey growled, but let it go.

"Why are you driving a junker anyway? Aren't you rich or something?" The blonde asked, curious. Kaiba lips quirked into a frown.

"Yeah, I'm rich." He paused to air quote the word rich.

"But sometimes I like to test out other cars. Thus why I have a junker." He finished.

Joey nodded in understanding as Kaiba started the car. Then they were on the road. The whole ride to wherever they were going was silent, giving Joey the opportunity to think. He couldn't help but wonder where Kaiba was taking him. After about 15 minutes, the car stopped.

They had ended up in front of an enormous mansion; Kaiba's mansion.

* * *

Bakura smirked as he thought about what happened earlier in the evening. It was just so funny seeing the confused look on his only friend's face. Bakura didn't actually like him in that way though. In fact, when he kissed the Egyptian there were no-feelings-attached. The Brit just hoped it went both ways. Bakura turned these thoughts around in his mind as he watched the TV screen.

Some brainless sitcom was playing, but he wasn't paying any attention to it. After about 10 minutes of just thinking, he got bored. The Brit decided he'd take a shower. Heaving himself up off the couch, he made his way down the hall and into the bathroom.

The pale teen stepped inside the tiled compartment and switched on the water. His muscles immediately relaxed under the steam. After about 30 minutes, he shut off the nozzle, feeling fresh. He soaked the water out of his hair with one towel, and wrapped the other around his waist.

Bakura carelessly strolled out of the bathroom and back over to the TV. The Brit was actually paying attention to a show, when he heard a knock at his door. Forgetting he was wearing only a towel, he stood up and opened it.

He ended up face to face with a blushing Mariku.

* * *

There, an update. Oooooh so many situations/cliffhangers! What will you do with yourselves? haha just kidding. I hope you enjoyed. Review :D

And I threw in a couple things in there for you choppedleeks. You'll know what, haha ;)

PS! You guys really have to read a fanfic called: This Town Ain't Big Enough by: x. Vivace_._ (there's no space in her user, I just put that there because for some reason won't let me type it w/o the space)

It's a really great story, I'm hooked. In it, all the YuGiOh characters are superheroes/villians. And it's Thiefshipping. I fully suggest it because it's awesome! XD

It has a really amazing plot too!

Thank you if you read through this long author's note! *hugs*


	6. Chapter 6

alright I know this is an exception to my "All my stories are on hold" thing, but this is the ONLY exception. Unless, I can promise that I'll update this one story on time, which I can't. So please enjoy this as much as possible.

* * *

"Mariku what are you doing here?" Bakura asked irritably.

"Err I just came over to…talk?" The blonde responded.

"Is that a statement or a question?" The Brit asked impatiently.

"Statement?" Mariku responded.

Bakura growled slightly but scooted over to let his best friend inside.

"So let's just cut to the chase. What in the actual hell are you doing here?" The white-haired teen asked.

Mariku's nervous smile quickly faded.

"Remember how you kissed me just because?" He asked. Bakura nodded.

"Well…I kinda…" The blonde trailed off.

"Spit it out." Bakura harshly commanded.

"I think I might just have a few tiny..confused feelings for you." Mariku said shakily.

He looked jumpy, as if he thought the Brit would reach out and smack him for such a ludicrous statement. Instead Bakura let out a cruel meaningless laugh.

"Sucks to be you then, because it was suppose to be just for fun." He responded.

Mariku looked genuinely hurt, but he let it slide. He wasn't going to accept being rejected twice in one day, so he'd just pretend this never happened.

"Kay, bye then." was all the Egytptian said before turning abruptly and storming out of the apartment. A pang of guilt washed over Bakura as he realized he'd actually hurt his friend. He swore under his breath and chased after the blond.

"Wait." He said in annoyance. Mariku halted, but his body language said it all.

He was stiff as a board; meaning "The damage is already done, just leave me alone."

But Bakura wasn't ready to give up. He gripped Mariku's wrist and swung him around so that they were face to face.

"Just wait a minute, okay? Don't go all sissy heartbreak on me." Bakura retorted while smirking, though you could feel the concern deep in his crimson eyes. Mariku's frown deepened, but he didn't pull away.

"Are we good?" The Brit asked once he'd observed that the Egyptian's temper had died down.

Mariku sighed, but nodded anyway.

"Bye Bakura." He replied, then he calmly strode over to his motorbike and hopped on. The blonde waved as the engine revved up. Then he was gone sooner than you could say "Bacon."

* * *

Ahem, I know I have not updated in who knows how long and I'm sorry. I have so much schoolwork, and if you were to check my profile, you'd see that I put all of my stories on hold. SO! I know that this is incredibly, and I do mean incredibly, short. But it's all that I had time to write. Next time I update, it will definitely be focused on the puppyshipping and maybe more heartshipping. Sorry all you puppyshippers for having to wait even longer. Anyways I do wish you'd review and tell me your thoughts. Again I apologize, and I hope you enjoyed :D


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